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Post by neila83 on Jun 3, 2023 16:27:03 GMT -5
Think of a Number is his best ever solo song in my opinion, just sheer perfection. I may well agree. It's funny, I saw him on Jools Holland from 2021 the other day talking about McCartney's Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five off Band the Run and I was thinking how I wish we'd get a song from Noel of that ilk with the change in tempo and dynamics and break etc. Given Noel said how he'd only recently discovered that song and this was around when he was making the album, I wonder if it had a little influence and pushed him a bit for Think of a Number in terms of mixing structure up a bit. This album as a whole is quite refreshing in mixing things up a bit more in song structure (actually more than WBTM which is mostly more rigid verse-chorus). Now I'm not saying Think of a Number is same level as 1985, and they are very different, but I didn't think we'd get a song anywhere near that from him, and I'm over the moon. |
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Post by sheisloved on Jun 3, 2023 17:24:11 GMT -5
Think of a Number steals some minor stuff from Talk - Coldplay
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Post by sheisloved on Jun 3, 2023 17:27:13 GMT -5
While the song remains the same is in the same family of Think of a Number.
While the song remains the same is my absolute favorite Noel solo song.
I could take a whole album of these kind of tracks from him. They really suit him.
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Post by headshrinker84 on Jun 3, 2023 17:56:44 GMT -5
While the song remains the same is in the same family of Think of a Number. While the song remains the same is my absolute favorite Noel solo song. I could take a whole album of these kind of tracks from him. They really suit him. The live version of The song remains the same is miles better than the album version. |
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Post by yeayeayeah on Jun 3, 2023 18:21:48 GMT -5
While the song remains the same is in the same family of Think of a Number. While the song remains the same is my absolute favorite Noel solo song. I could take a whole album of these kind of tracks from him. They really suit him. The live version of The song remains the same is miles better than the album version. The production is part of what I love about it. |
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Post by x123 on Jun 3, 2023 22:30:12 GMT -5
i’ve listened through to the album about four times and am just completely blown away. it’s a really solid album. i had high expectations after the ETERNAL wait we were put through but man, it did not disappoint.
one thought i had: i’m very happy that “don’t stop…” was a bonus track and not apart of the actual 4th record. i love the final version and am very happy we have it as part of the HFB catalog - that type of song is obviously the reason we all fell in love with oasis/NG. but the more ecletic and unique high flying birds ”bond” esque songs suits his vision now much more (i think)
The Man Who Built the Moon
Dead to the World
There She Blows!
Blue Moon Rising
While The Song Remains the Same
Think of a Number
Alone on the Rope
Ballad of the Mighty I
It’s A Beautiful World
Council Skies
Pretty Boy
AKA… What a Life!
The Wrong Beach
All these songs, and it doesn’t end here, sound NOTHING like “classic noel” but are in a class of their own. this type of material is what makes the HFB’s so special. We all love the Easy Nows and the Dead in the Waters. Personally both of those have played a crucial role in my life and has carried me through many tough times. not a knock on them whatsoever. but something about those “bond” tracks hit different. just food for thought!
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Post by Supersonic on Jun 4, 2023 0:27:30 GMT -5
As much as I think Open The Door, See What You Find is a bit meh, it works as a great pick me up after Dead To The World
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vera000
RKid
Old Oasis extremist
Posts: 44 
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Post by vera000 on Jun 4, 2023 1:14:48 GMT -5
This is his best solo album. I listen to the album without interruption. To be honest, I didn't have big expectations. But I'm just blown away.. Noel is an incredible songwriter. How did he do it? Probably Noel from another planet, alien  )) |
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Post by yeayeayeah on Jun 4, 2023 3:55:16 GMT -5
The album works as a whole. It's grown on me a lot, Think Of A Number is brilliant. It's definitely his most mature work, not sure if I'd rate it higher than Chasing Yesterday yet. My turntable is broken so I have only been streaming it. I can't wait to play it for real!
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Post by carlober on Jun 4, 2023 4:25:52 GMT -5
I just can't seem to get into There She Blows! and Love Is a Rich Man. The former is a total rip-off of Homefront Cameo by Cotton Mather and the latter is a pastiche that doesn't quite work, it feels like three different songs put together. Thankfully though none of them is as bad as The Girl With the X-Ray Eyes... that one was a real dirge. |
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Post by neila83 on Jun 4, 2023 4:55:32 GMT -5
So do we all agree now this album isn't Noel 'bottling' it after the commercial 'disaster' of Who Built the Moon?
A man releasing Pretty Boy as the first single and refusing to put we're gonna get there in the end on the album, let alone make it a single, clearly isn't desperately chasing the approval of the masses. Must infuriate his record label :-D
Sometimes it's really not a conspiracy and the simple explanation is actually true. As he said in the NME interview him and Davis Holmes had plans to do another album, then there was the small matter of a pandemic, personal events. Bizarre anyone would expect an artist to go through all that and not respond to it creatively at all and stay on exactly the same path as if nothing happened.
I was disappointed he wasn't working with Holmes again. I'm not anymore, it all makes sense and we've got a work of real beauty. As with (some of) SOTSOG it seems emotional pain brings out a side creatively of Noel that doesn't otherwise surface. Not that I'm saying I'm glad he's been through it of course, but as a non artist who responds to difficulty by withdrawing from work, it is interesting to see how these things affect an artist creatively.
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Post by Firefly on Jun 4, 2023 5:40:57 GMT -5
I've been soaking myself in this album since midnight release day. Even when out and about been listening to it. I'm not good enough with words to do a proper review but to sum up: no complaints about the music. Am fucking amazed at how no complaints I am. I take back what I said a few weeks ago about him not being into this album, shows how much I knew.
Love every single song, even Easy Now I'm not skipping and I got well sick of that song in the lead up. Favourite run of songs is from Council Skies through to Think Of A Number, might be my favourite run of all his solo albums.
Some people saying that There She Blows and Love Is A Rich Man suffer from repetition but the repetition sits right with me, could listen to them all day and night, well I have been. Also love that I keep hearing new sounds on each listen. Wouldn't change a thing about any of the songs, or running order. Only complaint is about the quiet/loud aspect, that's terrible, and the clunky transition from World That's Been and Gone to Easy Now.
Think Of A Number is one of those songs he writes every now and then that greatly moves me and I can't explain why, I just find myself getting quite emotional for no good reason. So that songs gone into my top 5.
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Post by jeffrey on Jun 4, 2023 6:03:39 GMT -5
The songs aren’t shit, but for me, this is easy-listening/background music. The only song I didn’t want to skip after a minute was There She Blows. I also think it would benefit from a vocalist with some power in their voice. I’m happy to see most people are pleased with the record; I wish I was.
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Post by matt on Jun 4, 2023 6:27:50 GMT -5
I just can't seem to get into There She Blows! and Love Is a Rich Man. The former is a total rip-off of Homefront Cameo by Cotton Mather and the latter is a pastiche that doesn't quite work, it feels like three different songs put together. Thankfully though none of them is as bad as The Girl With the X-Ray Eyes... that one was a real dirge. Not a fan of of those songs either, everything else I really dig though - even Easy Now has wormed its way into being an unashamed heartfelt Noel song for me (I've fallen in love with that falsetto bit leading to the guitar chorus, a real epic production effort instead of the plodding dross he went with would have helped take the song and that moment to a level of ecstasy). But There She Blows is the dadrock I hate hearing from Noel - just that tired, lumpen flat as a pancake plodding chorus he can't help himself with at times. It's lazy and uninspired. Love Is A Rich Man is admirable in opting for a Motown vibe but feels like a far inferior cousin of If Love Is The Law (a song that really benefited from its kitchen sink production by David Holmes). Maybe unfair to compare it to a song I love, so it's merely passable at best, and at least doesn't commit the crimes of There She Blows. But moreso, I think they kill the vibe of the album. Up until then, it's a very sweet, charming and melancholic album, at times brooding, before he slaps on some ill fitting leather trousers and you think 'uh oh' but thankfully he redeems himself with Think Of A Number. I've said it countless times but he's a pop songwriter and that's where he excels, not lumpen rock. I'd have held back Sail On and A Dream Is All I Need To Get By to replace those two tail end tunes - I think they're consistent with the charm and melodic nature of this record and more in keeping with it. In fact, I'm going to create that playlist now! |
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Post by Lennon2217 on Jun 4, 2023 6:54:04 GMT -5
I wonder what this mysterious Dave Sardy project is? The Black Keys stuff? Another project we haven’t heard about again.
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Post by defmaybe00 on Jun 4, 2023 6:57:24 GMT -5
I just can't seem to get into There She Blows! and Love Is a Rich Man. The former is a total rip-off of Homefront Cameo by Cotton Mather and the latter is a pastiche that doesn't quite work, it feels like three different songs put together. Thankfully though none of them is as bad as The Girl With the X-Ray Eyes... that one was a real dirge. Not a fan of of those songs either, everything else I really dig though - even Easy Now has wormed its way into being an unashamed heartfelt Noel song for me (I've fallen in love with that falsetto bit leading to the guitar chorus, a real epic production effort instead of the plodding dross he went with would have helped take the song and that moment to a level of ecstasy). But There She Blows is the dadrock I hate hearing from Noel - just that tired, lumpen flat as a pancake plodding chorus he can't help himself with at times. It's lazy and uninspired. Love Is A Rich Man is admirable in opting for a Motown vibe but feels like a far inferior cousin of If Love Is The Law (a song that really benefited from its kitchen sink production by David Holmes). Maybe unfair to compare it to a song I love, so it's merely passable at best, and at least doesn't commit the crimes of There She Blows. But moreso, I think they kill the vibe of the album. Up until then, it's a very sweet, charming and melancholic album, at times brooding, before he slaps on some ill fitting leather trousers and you think 'uh oh' but thankfully he redeems himself with Think Of A Number. I've said it countless times but he's a pop songwriter and that's where he excels, not lumpen rock. I'd have held back Sail On and A Dream Is All I Need To Get By to replace those two tail end tunes - I think they're consistent with the charm and melodic nature of this record and more in keeping with it. In fact, I'm going to create that playlist now! I think the There She Blows verse is some real fine pop songwriting though The chorus is more conventional, but I feel like the tune gets saved (and I love it) by its less obvious choices in terms of structure Going from the first chorus straight up into the verse again withouth interruption works, as does the second half of the song with the middle eight-solo-instrumental break-bridge-outro sequence It's the epitome of my biggest takeaway from this record, which is that after Holmes and EPs he's not afraid of playing with how the songs are built and structured even when they're not heavily removed from his typical sound |
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Post by andymorris on Jun 4, 2023 7:20:54 GMT -5
Re that cotton matter song
The ripp off is very thin but here I’d say it’s ok, it’s passing the shameful ripp off as the rest of the song is completely different
There’s also a Liam song that’s ripping off the melody 😂
Soul love right ?
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Post by Lennon2217 on Jun 4, 2023 8:21:40 GMT -5
Noel’s got so many “projects” he wants to do.
- Johnny Marr collaboration album
- David Holmes album
- Acoustic album
- Dave Sardy mystery project
- Black Keys mystery project
Fiction is fun Noel but I prefer the reference section myself!
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Post by AubreyOasis on Jun 4, 2023 10:31:09 GMT -5
Not a fan of of those songs either, everything else I really dig though - even Easy Now has wormed its way into being an unashamed heartfelt Noel song for me (I've fallen in love with that falsetto bit leading to the guitar chorus, a real epic production effort instead of the plodding dross he went with would have helped take the song and that moment to a level of ecstasy). But There She Blows is the dadrock I hate hearing from Noel - just that tired, lumpen flat as a pancake plodding chorus he can't help himself with at times. It's lazy and uninspired. Love Is A Rich Man is admirable in opting for a Motown vibe but feels like a far inferior cousin of If Love Is The Law (a song that really benefited from its kitchen sink production by David Holmes). Maybe unfair to compare it to a song I love, so it's merely passable at best, and at least doesn't commit the crimes of There She Blows. But moreso, I think they kill the vibe of the album. Up until then, it's a very sweet, charming and melancholic album, at times brooding, before he slaps on some ill fitting leather trousers and you think 'uh oh' but thankfully he redeems himself with Think Of A Number. I've said it countless times but he's a pop songwriter and that's where he excels, not lumpen rock. I'd have held back Sail On and A Dream Is All I Need To Get By to replace those two tail end tunes - I think they're consistent with the charm and melodic nature of this record and more in keeping with it. In fact, I'm going to create that playlist now! I think the There She Blows verse is some real fine pop songwriting though The chorus is more conventional, but I feel like the tune gets saved (and I love it) by its less obvious choices in terms of structure Going from the first chorus straight up into the verse again withouth interruption works, as does the second half of the song with the middle eight-solo-instrumental break-bridge-outro sequence It's the epitome of my biggest takeaway from this record, which is that after Holmes and EPs he's not afraid of playing with how the songs are built and structured even when they're not heavily removed from his typical sound Another example is the instrumental break just before the second chorus in 'Love is a rich man'. It's a small touch that avoids repeating exactly the same structure on the second part of the song. The songs in the EPs are also full of those small things. Even the "classic" ones like Sail On. I also think both songs combine very well very traditional rock parts with very melodic breaks that, at least for me, kill any risk of monotony. Compare them with other traditional rock songs like The Mexican or Mucky Fingers: these are so much better |
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Post by The Thieving Magpie on Jun 4, 2023 11:32:38 GMT -5
Digital tuned gong on Council Skies intro stuck in my head!!!
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Post by tiger40 on Jun 4, 2023 12:35:21 GMT -5
I wonder what this mysterious Dave Sardy project is? The Black Keys stuff? Another project we haven’t heard about again. I really hope that Noel never works with Dave Sardy ever again. |
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Post by neila83 on Jun 4, 2023 12:44:18 GMT -5
I wonder what this mysterious Dave Sardy project is? The Black Keys stuff? Another project we haven’t heard about again. I really hope that Noel never works with Dave Sardy ever again. Indeed, let's hope to god it's not connected with his next album which we know he's started on. There's no anniversary coming up for the albums Dave worked on with Oasis though which lends concern that it's for a current project rather than just going through the archives.... |
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Post by bestwick8 on Jun 4, 2023 12:44:59 GMT -5
How’s Noel doing on the charts today ??
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Post by tiger40 on Jun 4, 2023 12:51:00 GMT -5
I really hope that Noel never works with Dave Sardy ever again. Indeed, let's hope to god it's not connected with his next album which we know he's started on. There's no anniversary coming up for the albums Dave worked on with Oasis though which lends concern that it's for a current project rather than just going through the archives.... Agreed. |
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dc
Madferrit Fan
Posts: 74
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Post by dc on Jun 4, 2023 13:43:06 GMT -5
Some thoughts:
- Think Of A Number is astounding. I did not see a song like this coming from Noel. His team should work hard to get this song to a broader audience.
- If this were an Oasis comeback album with Liam singing the right songs, it would do some serious damage worldwide (although missing the big, obvious single, perhaps).
- As mentioned above, the real difference maker in this album is that Noel has fully formed song structures adding layers of depth and diversity with middle 8's/bridges, instrumental breaks, false tempo changes etc. The maturity and evolution of his naturally exceptional songwriting is so refreshing to hear.
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))
Nov 4, 2024 5:04:30 GMT -5
Nov 4, 2024 5:04:30 GMT -5